Tuesday, April 08, 2008

It
was called Guitar Hero and is wildly popular with the younger set. I heard they
had used one of my songs but I hadn't seen it until recently and when I did I
was in for some unpleasant surprises.

The
game features a rock band playing heavy metal covers of different songs and enables
the player to become part of the band, pushing colored buttons on a faux guitar
neck which correspond withcolors going by on the screen as the song plays.

The
song, "The Devil Went Down To Georgia," which I wrote, is supposed to
be a lighthearted novelty about a fiddling contest between a country boy and the
devil and the devil always loses.

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That
is not the case with the Guitar Hero version which comes complete with a horned,
guitar-playing devil who battles the player and very often wins.

I
want any of you parents out there whose children have this game to know that I
did not grant these people my permission to pervert my song and am disgusted with
the result.

Unfortunately
I lost the publishing rights on the song many years ago in a settlement with a
former partner and the license to Guitar Hero was granted by the company who now
owns the publishing.

I
would never grant permission for some company to create a video game version of
a song I wrote in which the devil wins a contest and I'm sorely disappointed with
the company who owns the copyright for not policing the situation. As it is they
have allowed these people to violate the very essence of the song. (via Charlie Daniels Soap Box)